BEAUMONT, Texas – Following the addition of Kinsy Haschke and Abi Nash at the end of the 2017 season, two more recruits have signed with Lamar University volleyball for the 2018 season during the late signing period. Mercedes Danrich and Moerani Marie will join the Cardinal family in 2018.
 
"The addition of Moerani and Mercedes gives us confidence going into the 2018 season," said head coach Michelle Kuester. "They are both players I can see making an immediate impact on and off the court."
 
Moerani Marie, a 5' 10" setter originally from Tahiti and a member of the Tahitian national volleyball team, played two seasons at San Jacinto College after finishing her high school career at College Arthur Rimbaud. At San Jacinto College she was named the best setter of the Lee College Tournament in 2017 and was dubbed Second Team All-District in the 2017 season. Marie is also a beast in the classroom, earning a spot on the 2016-17 Dean's List at San Jac. Volleyball runs in Marie's family. Her aunt Sabine Retuani was a setter, as was her mother Angelique Tetuanui. Her father, Jean-Louis Marie, was a libero.
 
"Moerani is a take control setter," said Kuester. "She wants to lead and take the reins of this offense and I have faith in her to do so. She has good size for a setter and I believe with her height she will really flourish in our new system. She has much-needed experience from her two years with San Jacinto College as well as experience on the international stage. I have complete confidence in her knowledge of the game and her physical ability to come in and fight for the starting setter spot."
 
Mercedes Danrich, a 6'0" outside hitter, had an incredibly successful high school career at Beaumont's Clifton J. Ozen High School. She was a three-time regional qualifier in track and field, the team's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the All-Gold Division two times in basketball, and the Ozen team MVP in volleyball. She also played on the FMTVA Chiefs and BMT Raiders club volleyball teams.
 
"Mercedes is a local phenom," said Kuester. "Her athleticism is incredibly impressive and her enthusiasm for the game is one everyone will enjoy. I believe that the crowd will really fall in love with her. She is a long, lean, left-handed attacker that will do big things here in her 4 years. She is one of those players that you could potentially build a program around, and I expect her to be in the record books before her time here comes to a close."